Reversible and berthable seat



June 23, 1953 B. F. MONROE REVERSIBLE AND BERTHA BLE SEAT Filed Nov. 25,1946 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 A LS INVENTOR. BENJAMIN F. MONROE June 23, 1953 B.F. MONROE 2,642,922

REVERSIBLE AND BERTHABLE SEAT Filed Nov. 25, 1946 5 Sheets-Sheet 2INVENTOR. BENJAMIN F. MONROE Ageni June 23, 1953 B. F. MONROE REVERSIBLEAND BERTHABLE SEAT 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Nov. 25, 1946 nvmvron BENJAMINF. MONROE Agent June 23, 1953 s. F. MONROE REVERSIBLE. AND BERTHABLESEAT Filed Nov. 25, 1946 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR. BENJAMIN F. MONROEAgent June 23; 1953 v B. F. MONROE REVERSIBLE AND BERTHABLE SEAT 5Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Nov. 25, 1946 INVENTOR. BENJAMIN E MONROE A gentPatented June 23, 1953 REVERSIBLE AND BERTHABLE SEAT Benjamin F. Monroe,Los Angeles, Calif., assignor to Lockheed Aircraft Corporation, Burbank,

Calif.

Application November 25, 1946, Serial No. 712,119

15 Claims.

This invention relatesto vehicle seating, with particular reference toseats adustable for reclining, reversing and berthing positions. Whilemy seats are particularly designed for use in airplanes, and will be sodisclosed herein, it will be evident that they are equally suitable foruse in railroad cars, highway busses, and other installations whereinadustable and berthable seats are desirable.

In airplane installations, it is desirable to have a central aisle withone or more rows of seats on either side thereof. For convenience indisclosing my invention I have a single row of seats, but it is to beunderstood that as many rows can be placed side by side as may provedesirable in any particular installation. Usually, two rows will be usedwherein a group of four chairs can be made up into either two single, orone double berth, as may be desired by the occupants, since one occupantmay prefer a berth and the other prefer a reclining chair. With chairsconstructed according to my invention, aligned chairs of any two adacentrows may be made up into a berth, and each chair of any row may bereversed or reclined, regardless of the position of the other chair orchairs in the same or adjacent rows.

It is, accordingly, an important object of this invention to provide areversible, reclining and berthable chair construction which will permit7 all the chairs in the same or adjacent or successive rows to beoperationally identical and interchangeable, above the base sectionssecured to the floor.

It is also an object of this invention to provide an improved andsimplified chair of the character described wherein the seat and backare identical and interchangeable, the seat being transposed to becomethe back, and vice versa, when the chair is reversed to face the otherway. With this arrangement the seat and back frames need be cushionedonly on one side, permitting a decrease in thickness and in weight,while the bottoms or backs of both members may be recessed to providemore knee roomfor the occupant of the next seat.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved andsimplified chair of the type described which comprises four major units,namely, a base fixed to the floor, seat and back panels pivoted togetherand having the pivot points thereof slidable in suitable guide-ways inthe base, removable, reversible and interchangeable arm restscooperating with the seat and back panels to hold the latter in theirseveral adjusted positions, and removable head rests usable with eithercushion.

It is another object of this invention to provide, in a chair of thecharacter described, pivotally interconnected and identical seat andback frames having identical and interchangeable seat and back cushionsslidably mounted on said frames and 50 arranged that whichever cushionis serving as the seat is locked relative to its frame, while the othercushion is slidable relative to its frame and moves relative thereto asthe angle of the seat back is changed.

It is still another object of this invention to provide an improved andsimplified seat of the type described wherein the seat and back framesare pivoted together at apoint near the adjacent edges of the seatcushions and the gap between the cushions is closed by an elastic flapto prevent a passenger from inserting his toes between the cushions ofthe chair ahead of him. The flap also facilitates the desired downwardmovement of the back cushion when the back is being tilted or reclined.

It is a further object of this invention to provide pivoted seat andback frames on which the cushion serving as aback is movable and whereinthe seat and back cushions are connected by an extensible compressionstrut adapted to push the back cushion upwardly on its frame when it isbeing erected from the reclined position.

It is also an object of this invention'to porvide a convertible chairconstruction of the type described wherein the several parts of thechair are readily assembled and removed without the use of tools forease in installation and servicing thereof.

Other objects and features of the invention will be readily understoodfrom the following detailed description of typical preferred'forms ofthe invention wherein reference will be made to the accompanyingdrawings in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of adjacent chairs, either of which can bereversed, or together combined into a berth, the chair at the left beingshown in full lines in its, erect position and in dotted lines ininclined berthable position, and the chair at the right being shown infull lines in erect position facing to the left and in dotted lines inerect position but facing to the right;

Figure 2 is a rear perspective view, partlybroken away, and showing onan enlarged scale a chair built according to one embodiment of thisinvention;

Figure 3 shows the chairs of Figure 1 made up into a berth;

Figure 4 is a detail section of one of the adjustable arm rests forcontrolling the inclination of the back of the chair;

Figure 5 is an end fragmentary detail of the friction lock in the armrest of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary inside perspective detail of the hingedconnection between the seat and back frames and the compression tie rodsbetween the seat and back cushions slidable on their respective frames;

Figure 7 is a perspective view, partly broken away, of an alternativeform of the adjustable arm rest mechanism;

Figure 8 is a fragmentary outside perspective view, similar to Figure 6,showing the seat and back frames and cushions with the arm rest removed;

Figure 9 is a fragmentary detail section showing the cushion latchrelease mechanism with the head rest in place; and,

Figure 10 is an exploded rear perspective view of a chair assembly.

The seat construction of this invention comprises a base structure A,including legs l5 and cross ties l6; removable master and slave armrests I1 and 18, which engage and lock into the base structure;identical seat and back cushions l9 and 20, separately numbered forconvenience in tracing their positions when the seat direction isreversed, and a removable head rest 2|, which can be applied towhichever cushion, [9 or 20, is serving as the back cushion.

Two or more side-by-side seats will ordinarily be used in a given row,although only one seat is shown in the drawings to avoid complications;

and the intermediate legs [5' can conveniently serve both adjacentseats. It will be understood that they are removably secured to thefloor B of the vehicle, with adjacent rows properly spaced to affordsufiicient knee room, and whereby tandem seats cooper-ate to form ahorizontal berth when the cushions are arranged therefor,

The identical seat and back cushions l9 and are built up on bases 22having side channels or boxes 23 in which frame members 24 areslidjecting through one of the slots in the side channels 23 of thecushion bases, the pins 29 on the back cushion normally engaging insockets 3| carried by the arm rests. The pins 29 on the seat cushionnormally enter the bottoms of scrolllike slots in guide sockets 32carried by the arm rests, to support the seat cushion at a suitableangle; but when the seat is to be level as part of a berth, the seat andits frame are manipulated to release the pins 29 on the seat frame fromthe guide sockets 32 on the arm rests, and the seat frame is then pusheddown to cause the pins 29 to drop through the slots 33 into the guideways 28 in the base structure, which guide ways also normally sup ortthe hinge rollers 21, as shown in Figure 8, thus leveling the seat frameand its cushion.

As so far described, both the seat and back cushions are slidable on theframe members 24 within the limits defined by the slots 30 in the sidechannels 23 of the cushion bases. In order While the hinge rollers 21are movable in i to hold the cushion, which serves as a seat, from backand forth movement, a pin 34 on the side channel (shown in Figure 8) canengage a detent 35 on the arm rest (shown in Figure 7). In order to holdthe seat against the back and forth movement on its frame members 24, alatch (Figure 9) can be used instead of pin 34 and detent 35. The latchcomprises a pivoted spring pressed latch arm 36 engageable in twopositions relative to the free end of One of the frame members 24, onedetent 3'! close to the pivot point of the arm, engaging in a notch 38in the frame member 24 to hold the seat cushion retracted, and a seconddetent 39 engaging in the same notch to hold the seat cushion l3extended to facilitate reversing the seat direction. A thumb button 4!!enables manual release of either detent, and when the cushion becomesthe back, insertion of the head rest 2| causes a dowel 4! carriedthereby to contact a plunger 42 to automatically release the seconddetent 39 from the notch, permitting the cushion to slide up and down onthe frame member with the notch 38 on the frame member located betweenthe two detents under control of mechanism to be later described, whichmechanically shifts the back cushion as the angle thereof is changed.

The seat and back cushion bases 22 are linked together by an elasticcloth closure 43, the primary purpose of which is to prevent a passengerin the next row of seats from placing his toes in the gap between theseat back cushions. The elastic tension in this closure also helps topull down the back cushion base when the back is being adjusted. Afreely extensible two part telescoping compression resisting strut 44also connects the two cushion bases 22 and serves to push the baseupwardly on its frame'member when the back is being returned from thereclining position to the erect position.

Control of the angular position of the back is through the adjustablearm rest caps 45 which are attached to the back frame pins 29 at thesockets 3 l. While either or both arm rests (Figs. 4 and '7) can controlthe back position, I have shown a single lock in Figure 4 and locks inboth arm rests in Figure '7, wherein a single manual release in onemaster arm rest [1 controls the lock in the slave arm rest [8. Figures 4and '7 show alternative forms of locking arm rests which arefunctionally similar, with Figure 4 using linkage, while Figure 7 usesflexible Bowden wires. In both forms the arm rest cap is slidable andtiltable as the seat back is moved, the rear end, which carries thesocket 3!, being supported at 45a by a link rod 46 pivoting about apoint 46a in the arm rest normally in approximate vertical alignmentwith the frame pin 28. In Figure 4 the arm rest cap has a pivot at 41.Each cap 45 is a shell having an open bottom and two parallel sidesconnected to or integral with a top member; and the slot or guideway 49is provided in one of such parallel sides. The forward end of the armrest cap 45 carries a pivoted finger lever 50 which actuates a frictionlocking lever 5| that slides on a rod 52. The locking lever 5| ispivotally secured to one of the parallel sides of the cap 45. In Figure4 the rod 52 fulcrums at 41 on the relatively fixed part ll of the armrest; and a seat back return and lock-engaging spring 54 is positionedon the rod between a collar 55 slidable thereon and an end collar 56.With this arrangement, release of the friction lock lever 5| allows thespring 54 to push the arm rest cap forwardly to pull the seat backerect.

58, in turn operating a second Bowden wire 59 to release the frictionlocking lever 5| a which slides on the rod 52a, which rod is pivoted tothe arm rest cap at iii). In this case the return spring 54a alsoengages between the collar 53a and an end collar 56a. The locking lever5la is pivoted, as denoted at 15, in the relatively stationary part [1'of the arm rest; and it has a pin 48 integral with it that engages in aslot or guideway 49 in the arm rest cap 45a. In this case, the arm restcap comprises a shell portion 16 and a rear casting TI. The shellportion 16 has'an open bottom and two parallel sides. Casting 11 has aforwardly projecting portion 13 at one side which extends beneath side19 of shell portion 16 and which is welded thereto and constitutes theremainder of one side of the cap. Casting 1'! has a median rib 39between its two sides which is furcated and to which rod 52a and linkrod 46 are pivoted by pin 69. 1

Figure '7 also shows a master control for the other or slave arm rest l8comprising a springloaded plunger 6! which projects through a hole(Figs. 8 and 10) in the associated leg l5 and which is lifted when thebell crank 58 is actuated, as described in the preceding paragraph uponmovement of the finger lever 50a. The plunger Bl rests on an arm 62which is secured to a spring-loaded cross shaft 63 that is journaled inthe base structure. A coil spring 64 that engages at one end with theleg I5 andat its opposite end with the arm 92 constantly urges the shaft63 counter-clockwise about its axis as viewed in Fig. 7. A duplicateplunger in the slave arm rest contacts an arm on the shaft 63, which isa duplicate of the arm 92, to actuate through a bell crank and Bowdenwire, similar to bell crank 58 and Bowden wire 59 a friction lockinglever similar to the lever 5 la.

In the operation of the chair described, reference will first be had toFigure 1 wherein the lefthand chair is shown in full lines set up in theerect position facing the right, and the righthand chair, as shown infull lines, is set up to face the left. The dotted lines show how theright-hand chair can be reversed to face to the right. In so reversingthe chair, the back cushion 20 moves down to become the seat cushion l9and the erstwhile seat cushion i9 is tilted up to become the backcushion 20, the entire construction of the seats and backs beingsymmetrical and interchangeable about the :hinge pin 25.

In reversing the seat, the seat base 22 has its pins 29 released fromthe guide sockets 32 by manipulation of the seat to move the pins 29 outof the sockets 32.. The arm rests are then removed from the basestructure after manual release of the latch 54. best shown in Figure '7.The head rest is preferably pulled out of the back and set aside. Bygrasping the outer ends of the seat and back cushions they may be heldin a V like form limited by the link M, the hinge pins and their rollers21 shifted to the other ends of the guideways 28 in the base totranspose the erstwhile back cushion into the seat cushion for thereversed chair. the former seat cush on being lifted or pivoted aboutthe hinge pins 25 to form the back cushion. Reversing and interchanginthe arm rests l! and I8. en aging the seat pins- 29 with the guidesockets 32 thereon, and the back pins 29 with the sockets 3! carried bvthe arm rest caps. completes the chair reversal, except for replacingthe head rest,

In Fig. 1 the chair at the left is shown in full lines in erect positionwith the seat cushion tilted, and it is shown in dotted lines duringconversion into a reclining berth with the seat cushion flat. In thislatter arrangement, the head rest may be applied to the seat cushion tofurther extend the same. As described elsewhere and shown in Figure 9,the seat cushion base 22 has its side channels 23 normally locked at theinnermost position relative to the frame members 24 and the seat cushionis supported at a slight angle relative to the base for added com-'fort. In its tilted position the seat remains fixed, while the backcushion is being tilted back to the dotted line position of the lefthand chair of' Figure 1, and because the back cushion is free to slideon its frame members 24 as permitted by the strut 44 connecting the twocushion bases, it slidesrdown on its frame members. Since the pivotpoints or hinges 25 between the cushion bases is to the rear of the backcushion, the lower edge of the back cushion moves back or away from theseat cushion to expose approximately two more inches, thus in effect,lengthening the seat. This extra effective seat length conforms toanatomical requirements so that a seated passenger changing from theerect to reclining 'position, or vice versa, does 'not'have to shift hisseated position. Since a flat seat would be preferable if the passengerdesires to nap in the reclined position, the seat cushion pins 29 may bereleased from the bottom of the scroll-like slots in the guides 32 bysuitable manipulation of the seat cushion and its frame 24. Ordinarilythe arm rests carrying the guides 32 Will be removed at this point, andthe seat and its frame 24 further manipulated to lower the pins 29through the slots 33 into the guideways 28. However, since the bottomopenings in the slots in the guides 32 line up with the slots 33 in thebase, the seat can be lowered to the level position without removing thearm rests. The seat cushion frame 23 is then unlatched from the framemembers 24 and drawn out to its extended position, the outward movementof the seat permitting lowering of the back cushion on its framemembers, as shown by the dot and dash lines associated with the dottedline reclined position of Fig. 1.

When the back cushion and its frame members are being adjusted, the armrest caps move and tilt therewith, being attached to the frame membersat the pin 29. The adjustment of the back cushion and its frame membersis under the control of the arm rest cap mechanism, the passengerlifting the finger lever to release the locking lever 5l'and leaningback to push the seat back against the force of the spring 54, or leaning forward to allow the spring 54 to bring the back to the erectposition.

When two seats are to be made up into a single flat berth, as shown inFigure 3, the seat cushion of the left chair is lowered and extended,thus disengaging its pins 29 from the arm rests and the head rest 2ifrom the back is applied thereto to form part of the berth. Theright-hand chair can have either or both of its arm rests I! and I8removed. To remove either arm rest the latch 64 (Figs. 3 and 10) isreleased. Each latch 64 is adapted to engage in a slot 6'! in theassociated leg IE or IE, as the case may be. The latch is disengaged bypressing an associated thumb button 65, such as shown in Figure '7. Thearms, after removal, may be stowed between the legs I5 and I5 of thebase. Each r arm rest is properly located on the supporting legstructure by spaced pins 68 (Fig. which engage in holes 69 in theassociated leg.

When it is desired to reverse the direction the seat faces, as shown indotted lines in connection with the right-hand chair in Figure 1, botharm rests are removed, and. the seat and back cushions are movedsimultaneously until they become the back and seat cushionsrespectively, each hinge roller 21 moving to the left end of itsguide-way in the base. The arm rests are then both turned end-for-endand refastened to the base of the chair, being applied to the propersides so that they face in the new direction. The head rest 2| isremoved from the former back cushion and applied to the new one,preferably being removed before the cushions are shifted and beingreplaced thereafter.

It will be evident from the foregoing that my seat construction isreadily reversible and convertible into either a flat or recliningchair, as may be desired, and that as a chair the arm rests are properlypositioned for comfort regardless of the position of, or the directionthe chair faces. Moreover, the various parts are completelyinterchangeable and reversible as to position and function.

Having described only typical forms of the invention, I do not wish tobe limited to the specific details herein set forth, but wish to reserveto myself any variations or modifications that may appear to thoseskilled in the art and as fall within the scope of the following claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A convertible and reclining chair comprising a base structure havingguide-ways therein, cushions interchangeable etween the seat and backpositions on said base structure, frame members supporting said cushionsand hingedly connected together between said cushions, means carried bythe hinged connection between said frame members adapted to movablysecure said connection to said guideways, arm rests carried by said basestructure. means carried by said arm rests engaging said frame memberswhereby to support said seat and back cushions at the desired angles toeach other, means for adjusting the supporting means whereby to changethe angle of the chair back, means releasably attaching said arm reststo said base structure a so arranged that the arm rests areinterchangeable and reversible whereby the chair can be set to face ineither direction with either cushion forming the seat and the othercushion forming the back according to which way the chair faces.

2. A convertible and reclining chair comprising a base structure havingguide-ways therein, cushions interchangeable between the seat and backpositions on said base structure, frame members supporting said cushionsand hingedly connected together between said cushions, means carried bythe hinged connection between said frame members adapted to movablysecure said connection to said guideways, arm rests carried by said basestructure, means carried by said arm rests engaging said frame memberswhereby to support said seat and back cushions at the desired angles toeach other, means for adjusting the supporting means whereby to changethe angle of the chair back, means releasably attaching said arm reststo said base structure so arranged that the arm rests areinterchangeable and reversible whereby the chair can be set to face ineither direction with either cushion forming the seat and the othercushion forming the back according to which way the chair faces, andsliding caps forming part of the means carried by the arm rests andarranged to follow the motion of the back cushion.

3. A convertible and reclining chair comprising a base structure havingguide-ways therein, cushions interchangeable between the seat and backpositions on said base structure, frame members slidably supporting saidcushions thereon and hingedly connected together between said cushionsto vary the angle between said cushions, strut means connecting saidseat and back cushions and biasing the hinged connection between theframe members whereby angular changes at the hinged connection producesliding movements of one cushion relative to its frame member, meanscarried by the hinged connection between said frame members adapted tomovably secure said connection to said guideways, arm rests carried bysaid base structure, means carried by said arm rests engaging said framemembers whereby to support said seat and back cushions at the desiredangles to each other, means for adjusting the supporting means wherebyto change the angle of the chair back, means releasably attaching saidarm rests to said base structure so arranged that the arm rests areinterchangeable and reversible whereby the chair can be set to face ineither direction with either cushion forming the seat and the othercushion forming the back according to which way the chair faces.

4. In a chair of the character described a base structure, arm restssupported by said base structure, seat and back frame members hingedtogether intermediate the seat and back, means for supporting said framemembers from the base structure at the hinge connection therebetween andfrom the arm rests at points spaced from the hinge connection, seat andback cushions slidable lengthwise upon said frame members, means forlatching the seat cushion to its frame member, and strut meansconnecting said seat and back cushions in biasing relationship to thehinge connection between the frame members, whereby angular movements ofthe back cushion and its frame member relative to the seat cushion andits frame member move the back cushion along its frame member.

5. In a chair of the character described a base structure, arm restssupported by said base structure, seat and back frame members hingedtogether intermediate the seat and back, means for supporting said framemembers from the base structure at the hinge connection therebetween andfrom the arm rests at points spaced from the hinge connection, seat andback cushions slidable lengthwise upon said frame members, means forlatching the seat cushion to its frame member, and strut meansconnecting said seat and back cushions in biasing relationship to saidhinge connection, whereby movement of the back cushion and its framemember relative to seat cushion and its frame member move the backcushion along its frame member, and means carried by said arm restsadapted to adjustably control the angular position of the cushionserving as a back rest.

6. In a chain of the character described a base structure, detachableand reversibly interchangeable arm rests removably supported by saidbase structure, seat and back frame members hinged together intermediatethe seat and back, means for removably supporting said frame membersfrom the base structure at the hinge connection therebetween and fromthe arm rests at points spaced from the hinge connection,,seat and backcushions slidable lengthwise upon said frame members, means for latchingthe seat cushion to its frame member, and strut means connecting saidseat and back cushions in biasing relationship to the hinge connectionbetween the frame members, whereby angular movements of the back cushionand its frame member relative to the seat cushion and its frame membermove the back cushion along its frame member, whereby detaching,reversing and transposing said arm rests and transposing said cushionsrelative to said base structure effects reversing the direction in whichsaid chair faces.

7. In a chair of the character described a base structure, arm restssupported by said base structure, seat and back frame members hingedtogether intermediate the seat and back, means for supporting said framemembers from the base structure at the hinge connection therebetween andfrom the arm rests at points spaced from the hinge connection, said armrests comprising a fixed support for the seat frame member and anadjustable support for the back frame member, each adjustable supportincluding a movable cap for the arm rest, means carried by said cap inassociation with said arm rest for controlling the adjustment of saidadjustable support whereby to vary the angle of the seat back, seat andback cushions slidable lengthwise upon said frame members, means forlatching the seat cushion to its frame member, and strut meansconnecting said seat and back cushions in biasing relationship to thehinge connection between the frame members, whereby angular movements ofthe back cushion and its frame member relative to the seat cushion andits frame member move the back cushion along its frame member.

8. In a chair of the character described, a seat and a back, each havinga frame member, hinge means connecting said frame members intermediatethe seat and back and permitting angular adjustments between the seatand back including a level berthing position, a base, means on said basefor providing a support for said frame members at the hinge meansthereof, an arm rest carried by said base and including a stationarysupport, means for releasably securing said stationary support to saidbase, means connecting the seat frame member to said stationary supportin spaced relation with respect to said hinge point, and an adjustablecap carried by said stationary support and connected to said back framein spaced relation with respect to said hinge means for controlling theadjustment of the angle of said back frame member.

9. In a chair of the character described, a seat and a back, each havinga frame member and a cushion and at least one of said cushions beinglongitudinally adjustable with respect to its frame member, hinge meansconnecting said frame members intermediate the seat and back andpermitting angular adjustments between the seat and back including alevel berthing position, a base, means on said base for providing asupport for said frame members at the hinge means thereof, an arm restcarried by said base and including a stationary support, means forreleasably securing said stationary support to said base, meansconnecting the seat frame member to said stationary support in spacedrelation with respect to said hinge means, and an adjustable cap carriedby said stationary support and connected to said back frame member inspaced relation with respect to said hinge means for controlling theadjustment of the angle of said back frame member.

10. A reversible, reclining, and berthable seating arrangementcomprising a base structure having parallel spaced guideways, seat andback frames, hinge means connecting said frames, members aligned withthe axis of rotation of said hinge means and movably and pivotallymounted in said guideways, identical seat and back cushions supported byand separately slidable on said seat and back frames respectively, armrests removably secured to said base structure, and means carried bysaid arm rests engaging other means on each of the respective frames tosupport same with one frame and its cushion providing a back portion andthe other frame and its cushion forming a seat portion, said framesbeing bodily shiftable along said guideways to a location in which theymay be rocked on said members to reverse their positions, whereby eitherone of said cushions may be supported at a suitable angle to form a seatcushion while the other of said cushions forms a back cushion.

11. A reversible, reclining, and berthable seat ing arrangementcomprising a base structure having parallel spaced guideways, seat andback frames, hinge means connecting said frames, members aligned withthe axis of rotation of said hinge means and movably and pivotallymounted in said guideways, identical seat and back cushions supported byand separately slidable on said seat and back frames respectively, armrests removably secured to said base structure, and means carried bysaid arm rests engaging other means on each of the respective frames tosupport samewith one frame and its cushion providing a back portion andthe other frame and its cushion forming a seat portion, said framesbeing bodily shiftable along said guideways to a location in which theymay be rocked on said members to reverse their positions, whereby eitherone of said cushions may be supported at a suitable angle to form a seatcushion while the other of said cushions forms a back cushion. V

12. A reversible, reclining, and berthable seating arrangementcomprising a base structure having parallel spaced guideways, seat andback frames, hinge means connecting said frames, members aligned withthe axis of rotation of said hinge means and movably and pivotallymounted in said guideways, identical seat and back cushions supported byand separately slidable on said seat and back frames respectively, armrests removably secured to said base structure, and means carried bysaid arm rests engaging other means on each of the respective frames tosupport samewith one frame and its cushion providing a back portion andthe other frame and its cushion forming a seat portion, said framesbeing bodily shiftable along said guideways to a location in which theymay be rocked on said members to reverse their posi tions, wherebyeither one of said cushions may be supported at a suitable angle to forma seat cushion while the other of said cushions forms a back cushion,the first-named means comprising movable caps carried by said arm restsand having pivotal connections to the frame carrying the back cushionwhereby said caps move as 1 1 said back cushion and its frame is tiltedto different angles, and means for locking said caps against movement tosecure the respective back frames in the tilted positions to which theyare adjusted.

13. A reversible, reclining, and berthable seating arrangementcomprising a base structure having parallel spaced guideways, seat andback frames, hinge means connecting said frames, members aligned withthe axis of rotation of said hinge means and movably and pivotallymounted in said guideways, identical seat and back cushions supported byand separately slidable, on said seat and back frames respectively, armrests removably secured to said base structure, and means carried bysaid arm rests engaging other means on each of the respective frames tosupport same with one frame and its cushion providing a back portion andthe other frame and its cushion forming a seat portion, said framesbeing bodily shiftable along said guideways to a location in which theymay be rocked on said members to reverse their positions, whereby eitherone of said cushions may be supported at a suitable angle to form a seatcushion while the other of said cushions forms a back cushion, thefirstnamed means comprising movable longitudinally elongated capscarried by said arm rests and having pivotal connections to the framecarrying the back cushion whereby as said caps move along said armrests, said back cushion and its frame is tilted to different angles,and locking means carried by said caps for adjustably controlling theangular position of the part of the frame carrying the back cushion.

14. A reversible, reclining and berthable seating arrangement comprisinga base structure having parallel spaced guideways, seat and back frames,hinge means connecting said frames, members aligned with the axis ofrotation of said hinge means and movably and pivotally mounted in saidguideways, identical seat and back cushions supported by and separatelyslidable on said seat and back frames respectively, means for lockingeach cushion to its frame when said cushion is used as a seat cushion,said means being arranged for actuation to free said cushion for slidingmotion relative to its frame when used as a back cushion, strut meansbracingly connecting said cushions relative to the hinge means I 12location in which they may be rocked on said members to reverse theirpositions, whereby either one of said cushions may be supported at asuitable angle to form a seat cushion while the other of said cushionsforms a back cushion.

15. A reversible, reclining, and berthable seating arrangementcomprising a base structure having parallel spaced guideways, seat andback frames, hinge means connecting said frames, members aligned withthe axis of rotation of said hinge means and movably and pivotallymounted in said guideways, identical seat and back cushions supported byand separately slidable on said seat and back frames respectively, meansfor looking each cushion to its frame when said cushion is used as aseat cushion, said means being arranged for actuation to free saidcushion for sliding motion relative to its frame when used as a backcushion, strut means bracingly connecting said cushions relative to thehinge means Whereby to cause sliding motion of the back cushion relativeto its frame as the angle of the back cushion in relation to the seatcushion is altered, arm rests removably secured to said base structure,and means including movable caps carried b said arm rests and havingpivotal connection with one of said frames to support the same with itscushion providing a back portion and means carried by said arm restsengaging other means on the other frame to support the latter with itscushion forming a seat portion, said frames being bodily shiftable alongsaid guideways to a location in which they may be rocked on said membersto reverse their positions, whereby either one of said cushions may besupported at a suitable angle to form a seat cushion while the other ofsaid cushions forms a back cushion, and whereby said caps move as saidback cushion and its frame is tilted to different angles, and meanscarried by said caps for adjustably controlling the angular position ofthe frame carrying the back cushion.

BENJAMIN F. MONROE.

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